Evaline:
I stared at the shopping bags sitting neatly on my bed, half amused and half horrified.
Six.
There were six big bags.
I hadn’t planned to buy anything. At all. My original plan was to walk through the seaside towns, maybe grab an ice cream, window-shop a little, and then head back with nothing more than sea breeze in my hair and sand in my shoes.
That plan had failed spectacularly.
It turned out that the mont I actually stepped into the little stores lining the narrow streets... stores filled with hand-carved trinkets, soft fabrics, warm scents of candles and spices... I beca very, very tempted. And once the thought of buying just one small thing for my mates and son popped into my head, there was no stopping the chain reaction.
I got sothing for Oscar, sothing for River, sothing for Kieran, sothing for Draven, and then, of course... sothing for Lioren.
That was how "just one small thing" turned into six large shopping bags overflowing with carefully wrapped purchases.
I exhaled slowly and shook my head, my lips twitching despite myself.
This was probably the first ti in my life I had shopped like this... without counting coins in my head, without hesitation, without guilt. And honestly?
It felt amazing.
Especially because I had paid for all of it with my own hard-earned money.
The thought made smile softly.
I still had four bank cards sitting safely in my wallet, each of them holding more money than I could probably spend in several lifetis. They were gifts from my mates, offered without hesitation or condition. And while I never personally used those cards, I also never stopped them from paying for or spoiling with expensive gifts.
I knew what it ant to them.
It wasn’t about money. It was about care. About providing. About loving in the way they knew best.
And I loved them for it.
But this... this was mine.
I ran my fingers over the handles of the bags, feeling oddly proud of myself.
"Wow," Selene said from behind . "I knew you would say you weren’t buying anything."
I glanced back at her, narrowing my eyes playfully. "I didn’t buy anything."
She raised an eyebrow and pointed at the bed. "Eva. There’s a small mountain of bags sitting there."
"They multiplied," I said solemnly. "I swear."
She laughed as she zipped up her suitcase and walked over. "Sure. And I suppose they all jumped into your hands and begged you to adopt them."
"Exactly," I replied. "Who was I to say no?"
Selene shook her head, still smiling, and started helping sort through the bags. I handed her a few items while folding clothes and arranging things carefully in my suitcase.
It was already late afternoon on our third day of the trip. In less than an hour, we would be heading back to the academy. Surprisingly, this last day had been... calm.
There were no gas, no activities, no forced competitions or combat rounds.
The professors had finally shown rcy and let us enjoy the day like normal people. They even took us out to the nearby towns for lunch and shopping, which had instantly improved everyone’s mood.
As Selene and I finished packing the last few things, she hesitated slightly before speaking.
"Hey, Eva?" she asked.
I looked up. "Yeah?"
"Would it be okay if... we ca to Thorne estate next Sunday?" she asked. "A few of us, I an. Almost everyone bought sothing for Lioren."
My heart softened instantly.
"Of course," I said without hesitation. "I would love that."
Her face lit up. "Really?"
"Absolutely," I replied. "I have missed having everyone around. And Lioren hasn’t seen you guys since the holidays ended."
She let out a happy sound and stepped forward, wrapping her arms around tightly.
"Thank you," she said. "I can’t wait."
I hugged her back, warmth spreading through my chest.
Once we grabbed our suitcases and bags, we headed down to the second floor where Noah’s room was. Everyone had agreed to gather there and spend the last hour of the trip together before boarding the buses.
The mont we stepped inside, I realized just how crowded it already was.
Mallory was sitting cross-legged on the floor, animatedly talking about sothing with Kyros, who leaned against the desk with his arms crossed. Ria was perched on the edge of the bed, nodding along while munching on a packet of chips. Noah and Fred had claid the chairs near the window, and the wall was already lined with luggage.
And then, just minutes after Selene and I arrived, Rowan walked in with his suitcase slung behind him.
"Well," he said, glancing around. "This is cozy."
"That’s one word for it," Mallory replied.
With ours and Rowan’s luggages added to the pile, the once-spacious hotel room officially crossed into chaos territory. Bags were stacked, shoes were kicked aside, and soone had turned on soft music in the background.
And yet... it felt perfect.
For the first ti since the trip began, I allowed myself to relax completely.
I sat down near the window, watching the sunlight filter through the glass as laughter and easy conversation filled the room. There were jokes about the tug-of-war, teasing about the surfing attempts, exaggerated retellings of the combat ga, and endless complaints about sore muscles.
Even Rowan seed lighter.
He laughed more easily, joked with Kyros, and even joined Mallory in teasing Noah about his questionable fashion choices.
I knew he was worried... just like I was.
Naira’s incident was still shrouded in questions. The Great Evil, the tilines, the missing answers... they all lingered in the back of our minds like shadows.
But for now, we both let ourselves breathe.
We deserved this mont.
As the hour passed, the sky outside slowly shifted from bright blue to softer shades of gold and orange. Eventually, soone knocked on the door to let us know it was ti.
Reluctant groans filled the room as we stood and gathered our belongings.
The walk to the buses was filled with chatter, laughter, and tired smiles. I climbed aboard and took a seat by the window, Mallory settling in beside this ti.
As the bus pulled away, I watched the seaside town fade into the distance.
The sun was heading down, painting the horizon in warm hues as we made our way back toward Silver Moon.
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